Bhubaneswar: On the occasion of his govt’s second anniversary, chief minister Mohan Charan Majhi on Friday announced free education in all govt institutions from KG to postgraduation level.“To make education truly free and universal, I announce that education from KG to PG will be made completely free,” the CM said at a press conference, adding it would particularly benefit students from economically weaker sections and girls.Majhi said Odisha could become one of the first states in the country to implement such an initiative. The scheme will cover institutions under the school and mass education and higher education departments.A senior govt official said while the decision has been approved in principle, modalities are being worked out and could be notified after cabinet approval. The initiative is likely to commence from the current academic session.Emphasising the need for quality education, Majhi said literacy was no longer the primary challenge, but improving learning outcomes was. He criticised the previous BJD govt, alleging it focused more on cosmetic changes than substantive reforms.He said the govt has taken two key steps — implementing the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 and setting up the Godabarish Mishra Model Primary School in every panchayat. Of the 2,200 schools planned in the first phase, foundation stones have been laid for 322.The CM added that 26,615 teaching and non-teaching staff have been recruited in the past two years, with plans to hire 45,000 more over the next three years.Majhi also announced the launch of the Mukhyamantri Annapurna Yojana, approved by the state cabinet on April 5. Under the scheme, all beneficiaries of the National Food Security Act and State Food Security Scheme will receive an additional 5kg rice per month free of cost, taking their total entitlement to 10kg per person. The scheme will benefit 3.28 crore people — nearly 80% of the state’s population — and entail an annual outlay of Rs 8,813 crore.
